Electrical piano player



June 3 1924.

- E. F. BIGGS ELECTRICAL PIANO PLAYER Filed Jan. '7. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 i N\ m M m 1 ////r J R A 3 n0 x x l f f. m w n. n x .1 u m B $N F V w a: r M m g E IMH l Hllllm June 3 1924.

1,496,617 E. F. BIGGS ELECTRICAL PTANO PLAYER Filed Jan. 7. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1,496,617 E F. BIGGS ELECTRICAL PIANO PLAYER Filed Jan. '7. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 3. 1924.

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E. F. BIGGS ELECTRICAL PIANO PLAYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 &

Filed Jan. 7. 1921 Patented June 3, 1924.

ELIBRIDGE F. BIGGS, OF FREDERICK, MARYLAND.

ELECTRICAL PIANO PLAYER.

Application filed January 7, 1921. Serial No. 435,647.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ELBRIDGE F. BIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frederick, in thecounty of Frederick and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Elec-' trical Piano Player; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable. others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a player attachment applicable to the key board of any instrument. of the piano or organ type and which is adapted to use recordrolls of the ordinary or commercial forms; an attachment in which the key operating elements are electrically actuated under the control of the record sheet; means whereby the rate of feeding movement ,of the record is regulated by the operator to suit the character of the composition which is being reproduced so that the expression may be controlled by the means with which the instrument is equipped; and with these general objects in view, together with subsidiary related objects which will appear in the course of the following description, the invention consists in a construction, combination, and relation of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the player attachment applied in the operative position to a key-board.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the plane indicated by the line of Figure 1.

Figures 4.- and 5 are transverse sectional Views on the planes indicated respectively by the lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a plan View enlarged of the tracker or contact roll, and the tracker board, the former being broken away to show the latter.

Figure 7 is an enlarged view in plan to show particularly the means for actuating the feed roll or spool and for ehi'ecting the rewinding movement of the spindles which carry the record roll.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail sectional View to show the relation between the contact terminals of the circuits which actuate the key operating plunger.

Figure 9 is an end view of the case to show the means for adjusting the same with relation to the key-board.

Figure 10 is an edge View of the same. Figure 11 is a detail section on the plane indicated by the line 1111 of Figure 7.

Figure 12 is a detail section on the plane indicated by the line 1212 of Figure 7.

Figure 13 is a detail view on the plane indicated by the line 1313 of Figure 11.

Figure 14 is a detail plan view of the tracker board, the tracker roll and the frame in which the tracker roll is journaled.

Figure 15 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuits.

Figure 16 is a sectional view, and

Figure 17 is a plan view of the solenoid.

Within a suitable frame or casing 10 which is adapted to be terminally supported upon the key-board or by means of the blocks at the terminals of the key-board of an instrument of the piano type are arranged the vertically movable key operating elements consisting of plungers having stems 11 and cushioned buttons or knobs 12 for contact with the keys of the instrument, said plungers being normally and yieldingly held inan elevated or retracted position by means of springs 13 and being connected with cross heads 14 carrying the armatures 15 of solenoids 16, and said solenoids preferably being of the double type indicated, and serving to insure the accurate reciprocatory movement of the key actuating plungers, The windings of each solenoid are connected to bus bars 17 by wires18, it being understood that the apparatus may be actuated from the ordinary house lighting system or any equivalent thereof. It will also be understood that while magnets are preferably employed as the means for actuating the plungers, the solenoid form of magnet is especially adapted to the purpose by reason of the fact that a direct reciprocatory movement of the plungers can be effected thereby, the armatures of the twin solenoids serving as guiding means for the same.

7 and constituting one terminal of thej circuitas a contact 22 on board 19 constantly wipes it and is connected by aawire22 to a source of energy which for the purpose of illustration is'shown as-a battery'22 (Figure 15). Said roll is terminally mounted on trunnions 23 ofbearings in the frame consisting ofpins 23 slidableivertically in the tracker board 19 and connected-by a cross 'bar .24 and yieldingly impelled toward the trackerboard by springs 25" disposed'around saidpins. The frame has at an intermediate point, a bearing roller 26(Fi'gures 4 and 14) arra'nged in the, path of' movement of a shifting lever 27' fulcrumed as at 28 to the frame 10' and adapted when swung laterally intthe direction indicated'by the arrow in F igure 1:to pass underthe roller and there- "liftthe frame and with it the" tracker roll so aslto permit the introduction andremovalof'the record sheet. In the operation of 'the mechanisnrthe record sheet is heldin close; contact with the surface of the tracker board by" means he said roll '22 to 7 provide for the successive registration of the openings in said sheet with" the slots or openings inthe-tracker-board; The electrical circuit which includes the sour ce-of-energy and the terminal-represented by the tracker roll 22 also includesfa switch element 29 which is connected to the source'of'energy by a wire 29-? and which is carried by but'insulated' from theshifting lever- 27, and a pair of switch elements 29 which are carried' by a bracket 29 and which are connected by wires 2-9 to the bus bars 17." When the lever 27 is moved to displace the" tracker roll from the tracker gbo ard the circuit isopened.

Arranged beneath the tracker board and respectively in alinement with the openings or slots- 20 thereof, are the terminals 30 each of' 'whic'his connected to a; magnet by a wire 33, said terminals having curved or hook shapedextremities- 31 adaptedfor engagement w-iththe tracker roll through the open ingsin the record sheet as they succes sively comeinto; registration with the openings orslots in the tracker board, said terminals'being yieldingly: held in position. to

effect: such'contact and thus close the cir-.

cuits respectively: through the rmagnets; leaf springs-32 The terminals 30 (Figures 6, 8 :and 15;) are preferably ofsteel spring wire "orilike material, which maintaintan'.

7 eifective contact with the surface of the tracker roll during the rotation of the latter:

due to theiniovement of the record sheet 'between the roll and the traoker'plate.

sprocket wheel 43.

The record roll 34, as in the ordinary practice is provided with terminal sockets for engagement with the record roll spindles" 35 and 36, the formerbeing spring actuated and the latter being revoluble and having a sprocket and chain connection 37 with a rewind disk 38 idly mounted for rotation upon the drive spindle 39 upon which is keyed the driving head 40.

The usual take up roll 41 is'provided with a spindle 42"mounted in suitable bearings 43 in the frame, (Figure 7) and loosely and revolubly'rmountedc thereon is a sprocket. V

wheel'43 connected by achain 44 with a sprocket wheel-45loosely mounted-upon the 7 drive shaft-or spindle 39. Sprocket wheel 45 carried by the 'driving-headl40 is yield-V ingly connected with the shaft by a spring 46, to the end that when the drivinghead is moved towardthe left to cause the engage ment of the pin 47' of the sprocket wheel 43 with the socket 487 in the take up roll 7 movement of the take up roll to; feed the recordribbonfrom the record roll thereto. Obviously the engagement thus secured is such as to permit of-yielding due to the resilience of" the spring46 inthe event of excessivestrain to, avoid injury to or fracture of the parts ofthe driving mechanism due to the resilience of the spring 46. The movement-of the drive head and the sprocket Wheel 43 to-effect the coupling of the take up roll with the drive spindle is effectedby means of a shifting'rod 50lravinga terminal: yoke 51 which is in engagement with the drive head 40 and the hub 52 of the g The shifting rod is yieldingly held in a neutral 'posi'tion'by a Spli'lllg 53 and is movable in one direction or the other by the contact of the shiftingxlever.

27 with the-spacedpins 54 and 55. Then the lever is moved to the right 'a clutch pin 5.6 on the drive head is arranged in engagement with-a pin 57 on the gear 33 to :cause the communication of rewinding' movement to the record roll spindle 3.6. V r The spri'ng46uacts to cushion the transmission oflniotion from the drive shaftand neutralize or compensate for. irregularities in the rate ofactuation thereof, and it is provided with terminal extenslon-tpins 46F and 46P'for'engagement respectively with the sprocket wh'eel.45 and ascollar"46 se cured toathedrive shaft. l' a Also, preferably carried by: the rewinding spindle 36-'is .a-.b rake; diska58 in operl- V ative relation with which is 1 arranged a:

brakeshoe 59 carried'by a stem 60 actuated by. a spring 61, said 'stem'being: connected by a rod 62 with the shifting-rod 50, so

that when the latter is moved to the right to eflect the clutching of the rewinding spin dle with the drive shaft, the brake shoe 59 is removed from the brake disk. When the parts are adjusted for the playing of a record, the clutch mechanism being arranged to communicate motion from the drive spindle 39 to the take up roll 41, the contact of the brake shoe with the disk 58 serves to yieldingly retard the rotary movement of the spindle 36 and hence of the record roll, to prevent the too rapid unwinding movement thereof and hence the slacking of the record sheet.

The drive shaft receives motion from an operating lever 63 mounted at the front of the mechanism within convenient reach of the operator and connected with the drive shaft by means of a double ratchet gear 64 consisting for example of the bevel pinions 65 and the intermediate pinion 66 secured to the drive spindle. Obviously by this arrangement motion in the same direction is imparted to the drive spindle by oscillatory movement in opposite directions of the operating lever.

In order that a proper tracking of the record with reference to the tracker board may be secured, or in order that adjustment may be made in the event that the record does not properly track, the record spindle 36 is made longitudinally movable for actuation by a cam 67 see Figure 12) of which the stem 68 is provided at the front of the case with a thumb or finger knob 69, said spindle being provided with elongated gear teeth 70 for engagement with the gear 5 to allow for adjustment. The spindle 0 n5 is yieldingly mounted, and is held in proper position in opposition to the spindle 36 by means of a spring 71.

To provide for the proper positioning of the frame of the apparatus upon the frame of the piano or other instrument and in proper relation with the key-board, the end walls 7 2 thereof are provided in their lower edges with guide grooves 73 in which are fitted adjustable positioning wedges 74 to bear upon the end cleats of the board.

As a means of regulating and rendering uniform the rotary movement of the roll 41 it may, as indicated in Figures 7, 11 and 13. be provided with a worm gear 7 5 meshing with a worm 76 of which the spindle T? is mounted in a pivotal bearing 78 and is fitted for example with a fly wheel 79. Said spindle is IOSltiOHQCl, to cause engagement of the worm with the gear 75, by means of a car-.1 80 carried by an arm 81 attached to the gear shifting rod 50 engageable with a roller 80* on spindle 77, to the end that the meshing of the worm and gea is effected only when the mechanism is operating in the playing of a record. Gear 75 and worm 76 are disengaged when the rod 50 is moved to shift the gears to rewinding position.

In practice it is preferred to supplement the action of the tracker roll 22 in maintaining the proper position of the record ribbon with reference to the tracker board by auxiliary idle guiding rolls 82 arranged respectively at opposite edges of the tracker board.

It is preferred as indicated in Figures 16 and 17 to employ a special form of double solenoid as a means of securing the energy necessary to effectively operate the keys of the instrument, such construction involving the stationary or armature core 83 in addition to the movable cores 84, both of which are subject to the influence of the winding 85 and are provided with interfitting coned and cavitied faces 86 and 87, the movable cores being connected (see Figure 16) by a cross head or bridge piece 88 for engagement by the upper end of the retracting spring 13.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. A player attachment for pianos consisting of a casing, slidable plungers in said casing engageable with the piano keys, said plungers each having a stem, cross heads within the casing and disposed transversely on said stems, an electro-magnet to actuate each cross head, each magnet having a plurality of stationary armatures, and movable armatures slidable toward and from said stationary armatures and depending from the adjacent cross head one on each side of the stem thereof and constituting guide means for the stem.

2. A player attachment for pianos consisting of a casing, slidable plungers in the casing engageable with the piano keys, cushions on said plungers to directly engage piano keys, said plungers having stems passing through the bottom wall of the casing and carrying said cushions at their lower ends, cross heads within the casing and fastened transversely on the stems, return springs surrounding the stems and engageable with said cross heads and the base wall of the casing, electro-magnets to actuate the cross heads, each magnet having a plurality of stationary armatures, movable armatures slidable toward and from said stationary armatures and depending from the adjacent cross head one on each side of the stem and constituting guide means for the stem, and means to establish electric circuits through said electro-magnet under control of a record.

3. In anelectrical player attachment for pianos having electro-magnetic means for actuating the piano keys, a tracker member, a conducting roll in circuitwith said electro-magnetio means disposed above the tracker, said tracker member being slitted below said r011, circuit closing contacts in circuit with the key actuatingmeans and fastening against the under surface of the tracker, said contacts having portions ex- 5 tending into the slits of the tracker, and

arcuate terminals on saidportions to directly engage the record.

in presence oftwo: Witnesses.-

ELB IDGE F. Bless. V

Witnesses V J. T. THOMAS, D. R. V ZIMMERM-AN. 

